Gerontious

Make the most of it. good practice for your off roading fantasies.

I don't worry. I have a very clever and cunning plan. Its a bit complicated though - so pay attention. Step 1 - I take off the jacket and hang it on the hook next to my front door. Step 2 - I take off the trousers and hang them on the hook next to the above mentioned hook next to my front door. After all this in depth problem solving. Im apt to make a cuppa and cut off a generous slice of battenburg.

Motorists on the M4 are being urged to watch their speed as South Wales Police trial a new speed camera on the bridge between Junctions 35 and 34 near Pencoed this week.

im sure you’re right. It’s always easy to justify what has cost you the best part of £20,000. Rare to see this viewed as a big mistake. Though I do admire people who are brave enough to admit such a thing. I knew the limitations before buying - mostly the wheels had to go. For me the overriding limitation of the newer bike is its low seat height. It could be the best thing since sliced bread - but if it’s too low and uncomfortable to ride - by design, then nothing you or anyone might say will make it an appropriate choice for me. I wanted to like it. But that single factor removed it from my wish list at a stroke. Just by sitting on it. But of course Honda had to do it. They were very soon made aware that the 1000 Adventure Sports was too tall and inappropriate for a sizeable number of potential buyers and so it only lasted 2 years before the redesign. I’ll stick with what I have. It’s unlikely I’ll be buying another bike, another petrol bike.

The 1100 screen has been plagued with problems, though as with anything - most people have had no problems at all. problems tend to be inflated by the internet. (who knew?) The 1100 never interested me and for precisely the reasons it excited so many people when announced. right for them. wrong for me. to be honest I was never going to be very excited by a new model where the CC only increased by 86cc and was lowered in height. with an almost £6000 price hike. Mine was a very decent upgrade on my previous Boxer 1100 though. more power and more torque from a smaller engine and a 300+ mile tank range from the same 24L capacity. up from 240. Plus.. the DCT. (obviously) so.. back in 2018 reducing engine size resulted in more power. not that I use it, I tend to stick to max torque in the range rather than go balls out for max power. The BMW was described in its day as a torque monster. progress has lead to a parallel twin thats more powerful from less cc and more torquey than my old Boxer. And it has that DCT transmission. clickety click. rather than the occasional. crash bang crunch. I definitely do not miss the BMW gear box.

Yes.. the exhaust side is identical at the top and a little narrower at the bottom. so from above you get a more balanced look. And also.. the panniers are held closer to the bike - unlike some panniers that seem to stick out a stupid amount with the exhaust side being narrower and looking very unbalanced. soft panniers.. but the effect is the same (with some other brands)

@Steve_M there were 3 sizes. call them small medium and large. I went for the medium as they are a total of just 1" wider than the mirrors. 1/2" either side. this makes filtering a tad less stressful and thats important to me. if the mirrors will fit through a gap then I don't really need to worry about the panniers. except in very rare circumstances. 40/36L there is also a 35/31 and 45/41 one minor point in their favour.. unlike some pannier frames. no 'surgery' was required. ie with some frames holes need to be drilled though plastic. usually behind the rear brake light. not always.. but sometimes. you need to look at the fitting instructions before you commit to any particular brand. if you don't want that kind of a hassle.

The Senotaff will be safe this weekend!!

You've done well. just 25 weeks to the day since your first post where you said. and now this. Congratulations.

I’ve always used the optimate. But only ever as a charger. I’ve never seen the point of keeping it constantly connected. Now using a lithium charger as that’s the battery type my bike has. If yours is lithium you must use the correct charger type. A standard charger will destroy a lithium battery. Bought one, but not needed to use it yet aside from testing it worked.

The wheels were an extravagance. but, when I bought the bike something unexpected happened. I got a loan for the full amount and then on the day they reduced the price - significantly. (this was in November) At the time there were 3 options. SM-Pro. which have the bartubeless treatment. essentially a solid rubber band is bonded to the inside of the wheel and fully covers the spoke ends. Or Alpina, which relies on Orings to seal the spokes. Or Kineo. I had the cash for the first two and really ummed and aahed. then just went for the Kineo - this was over Christmas so I was doing a shedload of overtime and ordered them in January. they arrived after a 9 week wait. The rims are solid and the spokes are held on the inner track of the wheel. I knew about them, mostly because they had been an order upgrade for some MV-Agusta specials. and other Special builds/customs. Once again black everything to make cleaning a breeze. I thought the black exhaust would look alright, it has an outer ceramic coating so it doesn't take much effort at all to keep it looking good. a wipe and done. Im quite lazy about cleaning to be honest. Again I was lucky and had a 20% eBay voucher and used it. I really wanted the Termignoni, but couldn't justify that kind of money for what was really just an aesthetic change. Changing just for looks rather than any kind of performance benefit.

How to ruin any potential buyers day, in Italy. Park absolutely any triumph next to it. Age and condition is unimportant. Then stand back and watch the fans arrive, crowd around the trumpet and completely ignore the Panigale!!

You can buy stick-on blind spot mirrors that go on your.. err.. mirrors. few quid the pair from Ebay. just get into the hang of using them. alternatively at a standstill work out exactly where your blind spot is.. and see if you can see it. it could be that you are overdoing it. maybe.

Oh. I could only read so far… I got distracted when a chair was thrown at me. Followed by a sock. (And I’m not sure which was worse) fixed.

Same as ever. Still got the Africa Twin DCT. Which is now paid for. Go away on it twice a year. Same old stuff.

Oddly enough I was only thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were getting on. been a long time.

Firstly, its rare to find an affordable cruiser and (more importantly) a cruiser that is suitable for someone of your height. but, there are exceptions. If you want an automatic there is really only one bike that might possibly fall within your budget and be ideal for city riding with luggage available. and thats the Honda NC700 or the more recent NC750 either with DCT (as an option) its only automatic if you want it to be. it can be ridden manually too. you don't get a clutch lever.. and its amazing how quickly you stop missing one of them. gear changes are with the press of a button and always perfect. no crunching or pogoing here. fairly modern so you get ABS and so on. its not a super sports. (but then neither are cruisers) but, its a Honda and so a reliable bike that will be easy enough to service. And will not scare you to death.. but, would make for an ideal first bike that will not crash in value and so would be fine to trade in or sell if you decide to move onwards (and upwards) A fair few people tour on these bikes so they are fairly long legged. bit of a jack of all trades. The fuel tank is actually under the seat so you get storage in the 'fake' petrol tank. which is quite nifty. With the fuel under the seat this gives you a low centre of gravity - which is always a good thing. Seat height might be a bit low.. but nowhere near as low as a cruiser. and is easily fixable if necessary. here is a review. https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/honda/nc700x/2012/

Ive never seen it in daylight. first time staying there was just for the sake of convenience. there is a very good municipal campsite there which is a fairly pleasant walk to the the town centre. we found the Blue Fish as a lubricant to make it all the more smiley. then the kebab place. and the walk back to the campsite. A McDonalds next door to the site made for an easier start with a coffee and bite to eat for breakfast, then its a nice run over to the A26 for the dash back to the Tunnel. I think its probably the largest town Ive ever stayed at. I don't bother with towns normally and do my utmost to avoid cities. but this is our penultimate stop so it hardly matters.

Excellent. I would start with buying the protective gear/clothing you need in the sales that are underway and will peak after Christmas. The bike you use to do your DAS on might be a good jumping off point. it will at least give you some idea of what you do and do not want when time comes to buy for yourself. I would never suggest anyone start with a 125 if they are doing the DAS in short order.

I wouldn't even worry about 'what bike' at this stage. you say you have started the process of getting your license. so would this be getting ready for lessons and then eventually the test. or even just the CBT because you just want a 125cc or smaller. What age are you? this is relevant to what course you can go on and what exact license you can get in the short term. and thus what bikes are appropriate going forward to that happy moment that you pass.

Its usually down to them being badly aimed as @manxie49 says. I just looked at the website and couldn't find any information, but often lights that are for both daytime and nighttime use will run at two power levels. 50% during the day and 100% at night. Also you might be able to buy coloured lenses for them that clip on. Not very commonly used here in the UK, though the usage is increasing - for example Honda now have 'always on' front indicators on a lot of their bikes that run at 50% and jump up to 100% when being used to flash a turning. So lenses, if available might be the answer. They definitely make the bike more noticeable. When I had LEDs on my previous bike I was careful to adjust the aim so that they would satisfy the MOT. even though they were not part of the MOT. So they would mostly increase the dip massively and in the process would really help main beam at night. close and far distance both covered.

I never thought of you as being the over sensitive type. you make a valid point. I answer it. I'll turn off notifications for this thread. ive said all I need to say.

Which is why I began by saying "before you buy do read up on what other owners have said" I should have said.. and will now edit accordingly. "before you buy do read up on what other owners of your bike have said."